Traditional types of ceiling fan blades have been formed from solid wood and molded plastic core type materials, such as ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) or PVC (poly vinyl chloride). See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,760 to Chen. However, there are increasing numbers of problems with using these types of materials.
For example, wood and ABS and PVC blades can warp over time when exposed to different heat temperatures, and can become both unsightly, unbalanced and must be replaced.
Additionally, the solid core wood and ABS and PVC blades require more power and electrical costs to rotate their masses over lighter weight materials, which further increases the costs of operation whenever the ceiling fans use three or more blades or the fans have larger diameter wingspans.
Using light weight versions of these materials such as balsa wood and thin plastic is not practical since the blades can wobble and easily chip, crack and break during use.
Still furthermore, traditional wood and ABS and PVC blades can become unstable due to continuous UV (ultra violet) exposure, and wood surfaces can also fade over time.
Additionally, the cost of wood or wood substitute products such as MDF (medium density fibreboard) has become increasingly expensive over time and untreated wood is not resistant to mold and mildew which further effects the cost since the lifespan of the blades may be reduced over time. Wood type materials can be prone to absorbing moisture which can add to the weight as well as the mold and mildew effects. MDF is prone to drooping over time.
The cost of ABS type plastics have also become increasingly expensive overtime since plastic is petroleum based which has become substantially more and more expensive over time. There are other disadvantages to using ABS plastic that include limited weather resistance and moderate heat, moisture and chemical resistance which would limit the use of this material to outdoor fans. Additionally, ABS is highly flammable with high smoke generation which would make its' use further undesirable in residential or commercial locations as being a fire hazard. PVC has similar problems.
Modifying ceiling fans to add colors, such as wood grain surfaces, and different color tints has not been an inexpensive process. Currently wood blades would need to be stained and coated with additional water proof coatings. Similarly ABS and PVC type plastic fan blades need separate colored coatings. Molded plastic blades may be able to be formed having single color. However, changing the color on side generally requires painting on a different surface coating. Thus, to change the outer colors of traditional wood and molded ABS or plastic or PVC blades adds additional labor and material costs which are then passed onto the consumer.
Thus, the need exists for solutions to the problems with the prior art.